The BJP government in Uttarakhand Friday expanded its Cabinet to include five more ministers, attaining its full capacity of 12 for the first time in five years.
Sources said caste and regional balances were taken into account while inducting the ministers in the Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who will seek a third straight term in next year’s Assembly elections.
Dhami took oath as CM for the second time in 2022 along with eight other ministers. However, the death of former Social Welfare and Transport Minister Chandan Ramdas in 2023 and the resignation of Prem Chand Agarwal last year following his comments on “pahadis” brought down the Cabinet’s strength.
The latest rejig has fuelled the buzz that Dhami is under pressure with factionalism in the state unit on the rise. First appointed CM in 2021, Dhami has retained the post despite losing the seat in the 2022 Assembly polls.
Here is a look at the new inductees.
Madan Kaushik (Haridwar, Haridwar district)
Kaushik’s induction assumes significance as the BJP is seen to be weak in the Haridwar region, where it managed to win only three of the 11 seats. With the elevation of Kaushik, a former minister seen as close to former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, the party is looking to bolster its presence in the region while trying to woo the voters. Apart from the three BJP, the region has sent six Congress, one BSP and an Independent to the Assembly.
According to sources, Kaushik, a former state president, was elevated to send out a message that factionalism within the state BJP has been kept in check after allegations of Dhami “not taking everyone along” surfaced.
Khajan Dass (Rajpur Road, Dehradun) and Ram Singh Kaira (Bhimtal, Nainital)
A former minister like Kaushik, Dass is a three-time MLA who hails from the Tehri Garhwal region of the state. He is seen to be influential among the Dalits.
Kaira, on the other hand, hails from the Kumaon region. Both their elevations, along with Chaudhary, are aimed at bringing the two regions closer to the capital and placate the voters there, sources said. Earlier, Garhwal and Kumaon were represented by four and three ministers. He began his career with the Congress before winning the 2017 Assembly polls as an Independent. He switched over to the BJP in 2021.
Pradeep Batra (Roorkee, Haridwar)
He won the 2012 Assembly polls as a Congress nominee and switched to the BJP in 2017. He was fielded in the polls despite stiff opposition from within the BJP.
Bharat Chaudhary (Rudraprayag, Rudraprayag)
A party hopper, he contested the 2002 polls as a Congress candidate from Karanprayag. Five years later, he contested the Assembly polls on an NCP ticket from Rudraprayag before unsuccessfully contesting as an Independent in 2012. He joined the BJP ahead of the 2017 polls and has since retained the seat.
Not everyone impressed
The reshuffle has left aspirants like Dharampur MLA and former Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli, and Vikas Nagar MLA Munna Chauhan miffed. Since speculations of a Cabinet expansion gained momentum, Chamoli and Chauhan – both seasoned legislators with two and three terms under their belts respectively – were seen to be strong contenders.
The Opposition Congress took a dig at BJP saying seven of the 12 ministers in the Dhami Cabinet were former Congressmen and that the BJP “needed its ideology to run its government”.
“Just months ahead of Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, the sudden swearing-in of five ministers clearly reflects its internal anxiety and instability,” said Uttarakhand Congress leader Garima Mehra Dasauni, adding frequent changes in leadership and a last-minute Cabinet expansion are proof that the government is not satisfied with its own functioning.
Uttarakhand has seen 10 CMs since its formation in 2000. However, Dhami has been in the line of fire over the last year with frequent protests and opposition from various groups over the Uttarakhand Service Commission paper leak, the Ankita Bhandari murder case, and inadequacies in the health sector, among other issues.